Carroll Shelby and his team have added a little kick to the standard 2012 Ford Shelby GT500 donor car to come up with the most powerful Shelby yet: the Shelby 1000.

“Carroll Shelby is a visionary who has pushed the boundaries of performance his entire life,” said John Luft, president of Shelby American. “He challenged the Shelby American team to develop the Shelby 1000 and wanted to unveil this amazing new Shelby at the New York Auto Show celebrating 50 years since he unveiled the very first Shelby Cobra that changed the face of high performance. We will have that very car, Cobra #1 (CSX2000) along with Shelby 1000 on display in our Shelby American booth in New York.”

To build the car that Carroll Shelby envisioned, Shelby America took Ford’s 5.4 liter V8 down to the block to add new rods, crank and pistons. The team upgraded the heads, the cooling and exhaust, replaced the supercharger, tuned it and then sprinkled it with a little Shelby magic.

To complement the new power, the Shelby 1000 has improved the handling and stopping capabilities with 6 pistons in front and 4 pistons in the rear, while the suspension includes new struts, sway bars and bushings. The new solid driveshaft is connected to a new 9-inch rear end. Exterior cues incorporate aerodynamics while maintaining a stealthy appearance. The hood, rear panel and splitter are functional pieces.

A limited production of Shelby 1000s will be built, each numbered and documented. The post-title street package for the Shelby 1000 starts at $149,995 and the track S/C version starts at $154,995, not including the base GT500. A completed Shelby 1000 is expected to be approximately $200,000.

Shelby American will accept orders once the Shelby 1000 is unveiled at the New York International Auto Show.

It's that time of the year again. Yhe Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI) is getting ready to crown a new Car of the Year for 2011 - 2012. See which car will take the top honors tomorrow at the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC) in Pasay City.